Neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease can be a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder whose primary symptoms include tremors, rigidity, slow movement, poor balance and difficulty walking. When a person has Parkinson's disease, his/her dopamine-producing cells in the brain begin to die. Dopamines are responsible for sending information to the parts of the brain that control movement and coordination. Hence, as the amount of dopamine produced decreases, messages from the brain directing the body how and when to move are delivered in a slower fashion, leaving a person incapable of initiating and controlling movements in a normal way.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a surgical therapy for movement disorders that represents an advancement in the treatment of Parkinson over the last 50 years. DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery-operated thin neuron-stimulator to reverse in large part the abnormal function of the brain tissue in the region of the stimulating electrode.
Commercially available DBS systems typically include a neuron-stimulator, an extension, and a lead. The neuron-stimulator is placed under skin operating as a battery powered electrical impulse generator implanted in the abdomen. The extension is a wire also placed under the skin (from the head, down the neck, to the abdomen) to bring the signals generated by neuron-stimulator to the lead. The lead is an insulated coiled wire with four electrodes implanted deeply in the brain to release the electrical impulse.